In a rather amusing incident on MSNBC, former CIA Director John Brennan, primarily recognized for his pronounced case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), became visibly agitated over President Trump’s decision to revoke his security clearance as a consequence of his involvement in the Hunter Laptop letter initiative.
This action was executed through an executive order. It served as a reminder to Americans of how former intelligence officials, including Brennan, played a role in suppressing the letter. The letter stated, “In the final weeks of the 2020 Presidential campaign, at least 51 former intelligence officials collaborated with the Biden campaign to issue a letter that discredited reports indicating that President Joseph R. Biden’s son had left his laptop at a computer repair shop. The signatories of this letter misleadingly implied that the news story was part of a Russian disinformation effort.”
Furthermore, the letter highlighted the involvement of individuals with security clearances, including Brennan, by stating, “Prior to its issuance, the letter was submitted to the CIA Prepublication Classification Review Board, the entity typically responsible for assessing the sensitive nature of documents before they are published. Senior officials at the CIA were informed of the letter’s contents, and several signatories held clearances at that time while maintaining ongoing contractual ties with the CIA.”
Recognizing the severity of the letter’s implications, which exploited the public’s trust in intelligence agencies, the executive order stated, “Federal policymakers must depend on analyses provided by the Intelligence Community, assured that these assessments are accurate, professionally prepared, and devoid of any politically motivated manipulation aimed at influencing political outcomes in the United States. The signatories intentionally weaponized the credibility of the Intelligence Community to distort the political process and weaken our democratic institutions. This misuse of the Intelligence Community’s authority to conceal vital information from the American populace during a Presidential election represents a significant breach of trust, akin to practices seen in third-world nations. Consequently, the confidence of Americans in all other dedicated intelligence professionals, who are committed to safeguarding the Nation, has been jeopardized.”
Later, the order concluded by stating, “To address these violations of public trust, this Order mandates the revocation of any active or current security clearances held by: (i) the former intelligence officials who participated in misleading and inappropriate political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign; and (ii) John R. Bolton.” Brennan was included in group (i).
Subsequently, during an interview on MSNBC after losing his security clearance, Brennan asserted that his clearance served the interests of the government, stating, “The only reason I maintained a security clearance, as I have for several years since leaving government service, was for the benefit of the government, allowing the CIA or any other agency to consult with me on classified matters if needed.”
Continuing in a somewhat unpersuasive manner, he stated, “This was truly for the benefit of the government. It aimed to facilitate classified discussions involving myself, former directors, and other past members of the intelligence community who held the necessary clearances.”
Brennan further asserted that Trump was being dishonest regarding the misleading letter he assisted in drafting, accusing him of manipulating semantics to portray himself as innocent. He remarked, “He distorted the facts in that executive order, which claimed we suggested the Hunter Biden laptop narrative was Russian disinformation. In reality, we indicated it bore all the characteristics of Russian information operations, including the dissemination of accurate information, as stated in that letter.”
Brennan then characterized the revocation of his security clearance as an act of vengeance, sidestepping Trump’s allegations that he had undermined the credibility of the intelligence community. He commented, “This was merely his attempt to retaliate against those who have openly and legitimately criticized him in the past.”
